This double-size bronze bust of Myron T. Herrick depicts about 2/3 of a his torso, clad in a period jacket, with a vest, dress shirt and bow tie. He has an expressionless face. The sculptor is Leon-Ernest Drivier. The bust is on a square granite plinth, about 12 feet high, that expands slightly towards the bottom. On the plinth is etched:

MYRON T/ HERRICK1859 - 1923

Located in the bottom corner of the plinth is simply:

DRIVIER

The following account of Ambassador Herrick, and more, can be found at (visit link)

"In 1912, President William Howard Taft offered [Myron T. Herrick] the post of French ambassador. Herrick's wife, Carolyn, and his son Parmely's wife, Agnes, were both anxious to live in Paris and urged him to accept, and he did.

The outgoing ambassador, Robert Bacon, wondered whether Herrick would mind if he was still in Paris when he arrived. Herrick amiably said he didn't, and suggested they spend some time together.

So Bacon canceled his reservation to sail on the Titanic. He forever credited Herrick with saving his life.

"It was largely due to a man from Cleveland that the panic did not extend so far that the whole population would have left Paris and the Germans marched in." -- Lord Northcliffe

When Herrick arrived as ambassador, he was surprised that French "society people" and French government officials did not mix socially, as they would in most capital cities. Herrick could not accept this, and so began having dinners and parties that brought both groups together. The ambassador figured that invitations to the American embassy were enticing, and he was right.

When Woodrow Wilson was elected president in the fall of 1912, Herrick, as expected, tendered his resignation in early 1913. But as it would take Wilson a while to fill the post, he asked Herrick to stay on for a time. Then Germany declared war on France in August 1914. Though Herrick's successor had been named, he hadn't arrived and Herrick could hardly leave.

Within months, German troops were perilously close to Paris. Many countries closed down their embassies; even the French government moved to Bordeaux.

Herrick, though, said he wouldn't leave the American embassy, no matter the warnings of danger. (The United States was still neutral at this point.) Other ambassadors -- even Germany's -- unofficially asked him to keep an eye on their embassies, and the French government asked him to essentially be their watchman in Paris, too. He agreed.

The American embassy was flooded by Americans who had been stranded because of the war, and Herrick worked 20-hour days with his employees to assist them. He also raised a large amount of money for the American Hospital and, later, French war relief.

For all these reasons, the French came to love him and eventually awarded him their Legion of Honor."

URL of the statue: Not listed

Visit Instructions:You must have visited the site in person, not online.